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THE Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa, has called on the youth to volunteer to work in construction projects of industries saying, after all, they are the ones to benefit the most through job and trade opportunities to be created by established industries.

He made the call over weekend in Morogoro after he took part in demonstration of planting sugarcane at Mbigiri Prison plantation in Dakawa, Morogoro Region where NSSF and PPF have jointly ventured into establishing a sugar plant.

“Let me call upon Tanzanians, especially the youth to support the initiative by volunteering in various existing industrial projects... to accomplishment of these projects which will bring about development as they create job opportunities,” he said.

His call came after six young graduates from different regions camped under trees at the Mbigiri factory to support construction of the factory by participating free of charge in various stages of factory construction, including design artwork deployed in one of the buildings which will be one of industry building.

“These six patriots who have just given a tent for shelter have become an example for others across the country and I promise to convey their greetings to the President to let him know how the young patriots received positively his message for building an industrial economy, ‘’ he said.

Commenting on the project, the Prime Minister said the sugar plant will ease the problem of shortage of sugar in the country and the problem of unemployment.

Prime Minister has asked regional leadership to survey the whole Kilosa district where the project is implemented and take away all undeveloped land from their owners and give it to the people who can develop them.

That will give the people the opportunity to participate fully in producing raw materials to feed the industries, he said. “And for those who cultivate in prison area, there must be negotiation to let them keep on utilizing the land for the existing purpose in order to feed the factory, though the land ownership will remain under prison, ‘’ he explained.

The project which aims to produce 50 tonnes of sugar per year is part of a larger project implemented by the two schemes in Ngerengere area in Morogoro Rural District, known as Mkulazi I which aims to produce 200,000 tonnes of sugar per year and employ more than 100,000 in the first phase.

The Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled), Ms Jenista Mhagama, said the social security schemes in the country are currently implementing 28 industrial projects which are in different development stages with the aim of supporting government’s ambition of investing in the industrial economy.

Speaking during the occasion, the Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr Phillip Mpango, promised the Prime Minister that he would direct the heads of Agricultural Development Bank to make sure they visit all smallscale outgrowers around the project and see how they could support them financially so that they can be in a position of participating fully in increasing the required production.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Charles Mwijage said the government’s aim is to ensure the nation produces two million tons of sugar to satisfy the country’s demand and export the surplus.

Currently the country produces around 300,000 tonnes of sugar while the country’s demand is 600,000 tonnes of sugar per year.

Mkulazi Holding Company Board Chairman who is also the NSSF Director General, Prof Godius Kahyarara and PPF’s William Erio assured the government, members of the schemes and other stakeholders that the implementation of the projects aims at creating employment and reducing the existing inflation rate especially on sugar.

“We have already got a right contractor for the installation of sugar plant while keeping on planting canes.

The goal is to plant 3,000 acres of sugarcane by December this year, the assignment that has already created at least 150 job opportunities to Mbigiri residents and others from nearby villages,’’ Prof Kahyarara said, adding that the project will also include the generation of eight Megawatt of electricity.

The Commissioner General of the Prisons, Dr Juma Malewa, said the revival of the factory would provide opportunities for detainees to work in the factory. He pledged to give jobs to detainees who prove efficiency after completing their sentences.

“Before stopping its production due to several challenges including technological backwardness and a lack of spare parts, this factory was manufacturing eight to 10 tonnes of sugar per year. Through this new project the factory is going to produce about 50 tonnes per year.